After a month in Mongolia, certain things seem normal: walking into pitch-dark restaurants through unlabeled doors; the complete lack of privacy in a place where people sleep in communal tents and the “bathrooms” don’t have walls; sun bleached bones scattered across the ground in every direction; sleeping on wooden boards … Continue Reading →
In fairness, though the West has a more dramatic beauty, Central Mongolia had its own charms (despite the travel inconveniences). I’ll save the stories; for now, enjoy this slideshow as an interlude between our long form tales of life out west.
We needed to get to Olgii, the next province to the north, and our available information said “8-12 hours, depending on the number of breakdowns, in a Russian Jeep packed with a dozen people. Although this is one of the more scenic drives in the country, the Jeeps typically leave … Continue Reading →
All of our available sources of information were unanimous (for once). The LP, the book written by Peace Corps kids, the internet travel sites, and especially the guesthouse tour operators insisted that it is not possible to travel independently in Western Mongolia. “In other parts of the world, like South … Continue Reading →
Our flight out to Western Mongolia (and the tri-corner border with China and Russia, just short of Kazakhstan) leaves in a few hours, so I’ve run out of time to post a real description of all our experiences over the last couple weeks: singing sand dunes, camel milk, horse cheese, … Continue Reading →
Your impression of some cities depends on the time of year you are there (winter in Chicago). In others, it’s the time of day (Nairobi after dark? I’d prefer werewolves). Ulaan Baatar (as with all Mongolian words, the last vowel is silent, despite the Soviet etymology of “Red Hero”) is … Continue Reading →
So you don’t want to be packed in like a sardine on a public bus, with a vomiting local child on one knee and a drunk old man’s head on the other? Charter yourself a private vehicle and travel in style (Mongolian style, that is). But you’ll want to know … Continue Reading →
Mongolia is doing its own thing. And neither the country, nor anyone in it, gives a rat’s patootie why you’ve come here, or what you might want to see or do – least of all the tourism industry. Which sounds a bit like the romantic ideal of the independent traveler … Continue Reading →